Over the world...

Aeolin Grand Palace is a luxurious flying palace, built by Graith and Dionysus Rlugia to proclaim the greatness of the Rlugia dynasty. The name Aeolin comes from comes from the aeolian harp, which is a box with strings that produces musical sounds when the wind blows on them. It is this symbolic symbol which comes true, for one can usually here high, serene sounds when Aeolin Palace is near. The palace is the epitome of Serdian glory, but also one of it's decay: a good portion of Serdian income goes into maintaining the palace, which serves a residence of the King whenever he so desires.

The palace is hardly mechanical. Back in Graith's time, airships were primitive, and it was quite laughable to make a flying palace (indeed, the idea even today is laughable).. In order to make a flying palace, Graith took the royal treasure of Serdio, the giant, magical peridot fitting it into the palace's basement. The palace is done in a neoclassical style, with bright and exotic colors. This is thanks to Dionysus, the second Rlugia king. He was not a man of war like his father, but one of culture. He built great buildings, and renovating this very palace was his dream, which went on even during the Mortikanian war and subsequent economic decay.

Each floor varies. The Main floor, or "first floor" is very majestic. It is large, filled with anything people could hope for. The floor is also different, for it is how people enter the palace. Aeolin indeed boasts no entrance into it. One must use the magical teleporter to access the palace, or enter via airship, or boat (the palace can float on the ocean, like a luxury ship). The floor it's self has many things. Aside from numerous balconies where lovers converse, Aeolin boasts the largest gardens of any royal palace, which also serve as a training ground.

The "top floor" is even more decadent. It is widely rumored that millions of gold was poured into the financing of this floor, throughout the reigns of both Dionysus and Graith. The lovely walls, numerous balconies, and fountains filled to the rim with fine pearls and gems can astound the richest aristocrat. Unlike Mystice, the Top floor is free roaming. This is mainly because few stay at this palace aside from Drake, close family, and high ranking members of the nobility and government. There are various halls, hosting grand, stately bedrooms fit for princes. There are are also rooms for study, and an improptu throne-room that makes Mystice look bland.

Lastly there is the basement. It is a cheap, bleak place, but is the foundation of the palace. It was built during Graith's reign. Serdio was still recovering, but Graith desired his dream. He then started with the cheapest part. Aside from halls and rooms for the servants, the basement has very little, but still some very important palaces. One part is the royal treasury, where a giant fortune of the Rlugia family is kept (there are other fortunes in the banks of Serdio, and Mystice), and the vast engine room. The engine room is the place of whirring sounds, where the magical peridot sits, it's energy utilized to make the palace move.

The palace is a serene place, one of beauty, hope, and pleasure.

“Goodness.” Helen though, examining herself in the mirror. “I look terrible.”

Indeed this statement wasn’t made out of false modesty or insecurity, but out of a lack of self awareness. The luminescence, the utter golden halo that seemed to forever surround the Princess wasn’t apparent to Helen. As she smothered the silk of the creamy golden-peach gown that she was wearing (a color that was suppose to bring out the gold in her eyes-though they looked just brown to her), she bent to examine her reflection more closely. Ever since she had come frown the Downs she had heard nothing other than how positively magnificent she looked-all the time.

At first she had assumed that it was mere courtly flatter. But the utter earnestness behind the flattery that became more and more obsessive scared her. She didn’t understand it. She looked like her mother, like her cousins, like her sister. They all looked the same!

Except they didn’t. It wasn’t just that Helen was physically beautiful, it was that the gods had given her a gift, an inner radiance that blinded all but her with it’s supreme loveliness. That transformed her into a celestial creature.

Unfortunately, Helen didn’t understand it at all.

The gown she was wearing was fairly traditional, fairly conservative. It was tight, with natural lines and a floor length skirt. It The sleeves were narrow and off the shoulder. The sleeves were covered in black beads but other than that there were no embellishments.

The Princesses hair was swept up and decorated with those same black beads. She wore no makeup. She never needed to. Her skin was always naturally perfect. She had no moles, no freckles, no bags to cover up. Her cheeks were always just pink enough, her lips just red enough.

She hated it.

Her gloves were white, and taking her skirts up in her hands, she left her chamber. Tonight would be a ball, hosted by the new Princess of Galastar, in honor of the Galastarian nobles. This was a sign of goodwill by the Rlugia-Novendots, to show that they meant no harm and would serve as just overlords.

Sage was leaning against the doorway of Helen's chambers with a look of nonchalance about her. While Nina had preferred to remain in Meria, to compose her stories and poetry, Sage had followed her brother (and his family) south. She had seen Esto Gaza once more, the Mystice Groves, and even her own rooms. But pressure by her young niece Julia had forced her to end her reverie. Sage was forced to travel south to Galastar, much to her distaste.

It was not that she didn't hate the city. She had merely wanted to remain there a little longer. The fact that Aeolin had been transplanted into the city comforted her a little, but she still longed for Mystice. It was a pity that Sade's court would be hosted in Galastar, the most Gods awful city in the entire empire. Even Hayholt would have been more preferable to her.

Azure eyes watched Helen with interest. Sage did not quite understand the girl, why she always wore a frown upon her face when looking in the mirror. Did she find herself ugly? Certainly not! Everyone knew Helen was beautiful--more beautiful than she herself had been at Helen's age.

"Helen." Sage replied, stepping into her chamber. "Is something wrong, my dear?"

Helen looked up startled. “Oh.... no.”

Sage had been much more of a mother than Sabriel had. Both of her parents had been more concerned with their Empire building than they had been with their family. And it had paid off. Sabriel, daughter of a minor city state was now the ruler of the mightiest nation in the world. Perhaps even mightier than the Holy Lands-the only other real political competition.

Yet Empire-building didn’t make for a close family and Helen often felt lonely. The princess smiled. It was a sad smile, a smile that (due to her heavenly gift) would have caused the happiest man in the world to weep.

“I miss home, a bit.. is all”

"Ah. I see now."

Sage did not understand everything about Helen, but she certainly understood the lack of closeness with her parents. It was evident. If anything, she felt more for some palace in the north, than her own father, her own mother. Bricks and cement in the chilling weather of Jeds were her love, not the flesh and blood that had made her.

"You just need to take some time to get to enjoy these places. Of course, Galastar is not the greatest city in Sade. It was a merchant republic, built for the wealthy. People like us aren't suited to live here. But soon enough it will be a very beautiful, like Hayholt. Now, I know it is not Downs, but it is a start. Your mother will probably let you retire to that palace when you wish, or perhaps you can build your own out in the countryside. Downs is nice, but chilly in the winter. Down here, close to Eden, near the Aizon..it's always very warm."

Helen shook her head. “We are all suppose to stay in Galastar. Mother says that if we moved away, Sade wouldn’t exist anymore because we wouldn’t be close enough to talk.”

She sighed. “It doesn’t matter. “ There was a short pause. Helen grabbed a cloak and then left the room, motioning for Sage to follow her down the hall. “Do you know anyone who’s coming tonight?”

Sage shook her head.

"No, I don't know any of the people who will be attending. Galastar is very foreign to me. I was born and raised in Serdio, and my adult-hood was spent in Meria. I know nothing of Galastar and it's ways. The aristocracy of this place are...different. While Meria has it's landlords and Serdio has it's traditional aristocracy, the Galastarians have earned their honor and respect from trade. It's a very bourgeois place, you see."

It was settled. The renovations would begin immediately.

The Mayoral palace had been located in the middle of the financial district, surrounded by the summer houses and villas of the bourgeois merchant princes. The Palace, the villas and the park now belonged to the House of Sade.

This would be her new home, her court. And She intended to make it as much of a representation of the Empire as she could.

All around the city the squalor of overcrowded aged tenements were replaces as apartments were torn down to make way for wide, tree lined boulevards. Galastar had always been surrounded by Serdio, and thus, instead of spreading outward, it spread up. Buildings built on buildings. This created a series of under layers and subterranean labyrinths that promoted crime.

These were being wiped away, replaced and gentrified with government offices and townhouse. Galastar was being rebuilt. And the poor, the poor that crowded and toiled in the underworld of the city were being packed up and shipped off to labor camps in Vulcan and southern Eden.

And this recent purchase, the buying of seven or eight properties, to be converted into a Serdo-Jaran court fit to rule a vast land was the symbol of this creation.

"Your majesty."

The scurrying of a servant against the clacking halls of the Aeolin Palace could scarcely be ignored, even as the vast engines rumbled and roared, beginning the herculean task to lift the majestic palace into the sky. Tacky, kitsch, and a variety of other things, Aeolin Palace was an explosion of romanticism and neoclassicism, built on the whims of the Rlugian Kings Graith and Dionysus, despite the massive expenses incurred. It was a palace left virtually abandoned in Galastar, paid from the Sadien coffers to ensure it's upkeep. Yet on a cool March day a surprise visitor arrived and commandeered the palace to take him to Esto Gaza.

This visitor was none other than Drake, the King of Serdio.

"Yes, Emmanuel?"

"Your majesty...the engineers are saying that take-off might not be possible. The palace has been grounded for so long, they are worried it might be too much of a strain on the systems. Not to mention the expanse of Galastar--there is much worry the palace not be able to achieve height quickly enough to avoid damage to the city."

Drake huffed. There was little time to waste; he had caught wind of recent developments in Serdio, and indeed the whole of Sade, which necessitated his return. With such a congestion on train networks due to the flocks of nobility returning to court, Drake needed a quick way to return to Esto Gaza--airships and boats were ruled out, for many nobles also preferred this methods to return to court. With his own personal airship and boat in Esto Gaza, this had forced him to look at his only remaining way back to the capital--Aeolin.

"Can they do nothing?" Drake asked slightly. "I must return Esto Gaza, and quickly. This is the only way."

"Well." Emmanuel said devoid of any feeling. "They can attempt to leverage the palace if that is your will, but they strongly advise against it."

Drake thought for a moment.

"I simply cannot wait for parity to be reached--I need to reach Esto Gaza. The nobles are returning, the government reinvigorated, and troops being prepared to send into Meria. I do not wish to be absent for this event. How much damage, potentially, are we speaking of?"

"The engineers say that millions worth of damage could be caused to the residential and financial districts of the city if the palace failed to gather speed and height quickly enough. If the palace is simply unable to function, and the systems go wrong, it is quite possible that the Peridot, the heart and mind of Aeolin would simply shatter--with such a magic expanse held in such an object, it would be quite possible that the entire palace would sustain considerable damage."

Drake shook his head. There seemed a little chance for things going to correctly. Although Drake would normally not consider such a threatening procedure, desperate times called for desperate measures; Drake was willing to throw all caution to the wind to ensure a speedy arrival back into his capital.

"I must return to Esto Gaza by this evening." Drake said crisply. "Tell the engineers to proceed anyways."

"As you wish, your majesty."

On the demands of Drake, the engineers of the palace had ordered the ship put on full capacity. Every gear was whirring, every piece twirling, working at it's hardest to ensure the levitation of the palace into the sky, and safe transport to Esto Gaza. It was a risky chance; Aeolin had not been flown in years, and with the King's words, all testing was thrown into the wind. Noisy and the sounds of grinding filled the air, and Drake stood tersely on the outer balcony, watching the city of Galastar slightly.

"Your majesty." Emmanuel, the servant who had played a pivotal role in the entire ordeal. "The engineers are ready, if you are...unless of course you would like to wait."

"No." Drake replied with a smile. "It's time we go."

Emmanuel bowed, leaving his King to remain on the balcony. It was a period of isolation, for Drake heard nothing besides the vast noise of the palace, yet with no movement. His hands gripping the siding, Drake braced himself as the palace began it's rough and tumble movements, uprooting from the lands it been grounded on since the near beginning of the Serdian Revolution. Every part jolted, and the King felt his balance slipping. Slowly the palace began to rise up--but not fast enough. Drake clenched tightly as he felt the sides of the palace clash against the surrounding buildings. The noise of ripping debris and the roaring engines filled the ears of Drake, who felt the suction as the palace began to rise ever higher, moving in the direction of Esto Gaza, despite clashing against various buildings. The strain of the palace was evident, and things were not going as planned.

Yet it was still thrilling to be in the air once more, riding high on the clouds. The damage to Galastar would be repairable, but Drake still felt guilty demanding his transportation on whim.

At least now he would arrive on time...